The Hardest Decision
by chocoluvr
Summary: When Edmond Lovegood receives a letter from his daughter making a request that would be hard for him to agree to, especially after his wife's death he contemplates the reasons to honor it or not.  He's scared of the repcurssions if he honors this request.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

As Edmond Lovegood looked at the piece of parchment with a request from his daughter that normally he would grant without a second thought, but this request could be one that could cost either one of them their lives, like it almost did five years ago, when he nearly lost his daughter Luna but he lost his wife and other daughter, Stella over a story that he wrote. He reread the letter again looking to see what Luna wanted and why.

_Dear Daddy, _

_I know that you always try to publish the truth, but are scared to sometimes because of what happened to mom, Stella and me. Now is the time for you to begin running the type of stories like you did before. I want you to run an interview with Harry Potter talking about what he saw the night of Voldemort's return, he may even name some of the Death Eaters who were there. Don't worry, you don't have to write it only publish it, in The Quibbler, Hermione Granger one of my friends told me that she has someone in mind to write it. I think that the truth needs to get out, even if most people think that The Quibbler is a magazine that prints "rubbish", but the students here don't know what the magazine was like before. Besides, if you publish the interview, then mum and Stella didn't die for nothing._

_Love, _

_Luna_

When he read that he wondered what she remembered of her mother's and twin's deaths. He was told that she may never remember the attack; the only thing that she remembered was a big explosion when her mum was trying out one of her new spells that her mother was working on and seeing her mum die in the explosion. Luna was hurt so badly, that she was in coma for six months and spent three months in a muggle facility for patients recovering from brain injuries, since St. Mungo's wanted to write her off as being "incurable" and sticking her in the long term care ward at the age of nine. How ironic it would have been to have Luna in there shortly after he had written an expose piece on the treatment those patients received, thanks to certain members of the board who wanted to keep muggle therapies out of the wizarding hospital, to permanently silence certain patients to serve their own self interests. He remembered receiving the worst news in his life only a few days after he had ran that piece in _The Quibbler_, like it was yesterday.

* * *

Coming back from that horrible memory, he wondered if Luna knew how hard it was even to write that piece about Sirius Black being innocent after spending all of those years in Azakaban. He didn't care that both Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin both asked him to run the story with proof, they even had Sirius there who professed his innocence with Veritaserum. He protested this, since no one important really took his magazine seriously anymore, not since the deaths of his wife and daughter. He finally relented and ran that story, even though he added the part about him really being some famous rocker in disguise, who'd been missing for nearly fifteen years. He'd even refused to rejoin the Order of the Phoenix, even though he was a member of the original Order along with his wife; of course Luna didn't know that about her old man though. Both Dumbledore and Remus understood his desire to protect Luna with both of them wanting to protect Harry. Though they told him that the Weasleys were joining and they had seven children, with four children going to Hogwarts this year. He was reassured though that the Ministry was sending Aurors to protect Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, of course he knew that they were going to be there for Harry's sake but that all of the students would benefit from their presence. This year when he took Luna to pick up her supplies in Dragon Alley he thought that he saw Dr. Fletchley there also, he looked like he was picking up school supplies for his son too. He left before he tried to decide if he should say anything to him, since he did save Luna's life and showed him that sometimes muggle invention works better than magic, especially in the healing arts. He hoped that the Aurors on duty knew who he was and that he was capable of saving one of their own, if heaven forbid they should need his services. Though some of them were just as stubborn as his landlady who thought that it was barbaric to cut someone's head open, well they were even he thought that institualizing her son and daughter-in-law without looking at the alternatives was barbaric. Of course he understood that she didn't want to admit that sometimes muggle methods were better than the magical methods. Coming back to the letter that Luna had just sent him he wondered if Dumbledore would let him interview some of the student's on their opinions of the Ministry cover-up of Voldemort's return, he really wanted to hear what one particular student had to say. He should know better than anyone else the consequences of being lulled into a false sense of security; he lost his parents after Voldemort's fall the last time. Well, he decided that he would publish an interview with Harry Potter but he would ask Dumbledore about interviewing some of the students. He knew that Luna would be safe at Hogwarts during the school year and that they could always go abroad for the summer holiday. He wrote to Luna:

* * *

_Dear Luna,_

_I would be glad to publish an interview with Harry Potter in the next edition of The Quibbler. It's time that I stopped being afraid and start doing some real reporting again otherwise your mum and sister would have died for nothing._

_Love, _

_Dad_

Of course, he wrote a request to interview some of the students on their views, with one in particular that he had in mind.

_Dear Albus, _

_I was wondering if you would allow me to interview some of the students about their views on Voldemort's return, especially Neville Longbottom since his parents were attacked after everyone thought that the wizarding world was safe the last time. I thought that I could run this in The Quibbler, since I'm getting an interview with Harry Potter I would like to hear what some of the other students think especially him. Don't worry I didn't tell Neville's little secret to Luna. With me running the interview, don't expect me to be ready to join your little group._

_Sincerely, _

_Edmond Lovegood_

A few days later he received word from Dumbledore which he opened up eagerly.

_Dear Edmond,_

_I'm glad that you decided to let Harry tell his side of the story to your magazine, but unfortunately I don't have the authority to let you come to the school and interview random students, plus you would need their parent or guardian's permission to print their names in the paper. As for Neville he doesn't want to talk about his parents and I can't force him to do so. Though from what I've heard his grandmother wanted him to stand up and say something, which he hasn't so you can't interview him, even though Augusta would very eagerly agree to such an interview. This should be his choice shouldn't you think and I haven't told him about your request yet. I'm sure that you've heard about the Hogwarts High Inquisitor haven't you, she wouldn't approve having you come to our campus. I'm glad that you've decided to stand up for what is right again, even though you don't want to rejoin our group yet_

_Sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore_

Edmond crumpled up the piece of parchment and threw it away in frustration, but he received a letter from Luna that brightened his mood.

_Dear Dad, _

_We'll do the interview during the next Hogsmeade weekend in town, so that way we can be out of Umbridge's watchful eye, which I'm sure that you've heard about._

_Love,_

* * *

Looking at her response he realized how much like himself his daughter had become, well maybe he can encourage her to spend next year at Salem Witch's Academy in the United States for her own protection.


End file.
